Unsung Words
by Zay-el
Summary: Beyond the cold cold metal and the buzzing of the positronic brain, is there any room for an android to simulate feelings deeper than anyone might expect? Written as a b-day gift for a friend.


Okay, to make this perfectly clear from the start, I have little to basically no knowledge about VOCALOID in general. All I know comes from a friend of mine, to whom I've written this little snippet, as a birthday gift. It was based on one song she had shown me before using a very similar theme, and an extremely heavy dose of Isaac Asimov's Robot stories. Either way, I hope I didn't mess up TOO badly and I present for all of you to enjoy:

* * *

_**Unsung Words**_

"...Masuta? I have a question!"

His curious, almost natural voice was enough to pull her attention away from the butterfly, the animal enjoying the bit of privacy it had by quickly fleeing the scene. She turned slightly, her gaze shifting to rest upon the very familiar frame of her caretaker-friend.

Shion Kaito, or VOC-01-SK, as some folk seemed to prefer calling him, for no adequate reason, was standing tall in the grass as he usually did, watching as she enjoyed what limited free time she had outside. He was a Personal Cybernetic Assistant, cutting-edge in design, programming and many more.

In most ways, he was a landmark in commercialized androids, luckily passing through the terrible uncanny feeling most people had of mechanized helpers. New technology, remarkably human-like, it was no wonder people often felt as if leading robot-manufacturers were running an industrialized Frankenstein's lab.

To her though, the definition of Shion Kaito was infinitely simpler. He was her babysitter, caretaker, guardian, whatever her parents liked to call him. She preferred 'friend' out of all those though. He was the first of many androids under construction, but not for heavy-lifting, or any other physical duty. He was designed to be the perfect entertainment for humans.

"Of course. What would you like to know?" she asked, smiling at him. She approached the android, sitting down next to him.

Millions upon billions of codes ran through his positronic brain almost every second, the knowledge and culture of dozens of countries embedded into him. She hardly even used any of them though. What got her attention instead though, were the little details. The initial clothes he had when he was delivered were disposed of within seconds.

With a plain shirt and a pair of jeans, he seemed so horrifically inhumane she couldn't bear it. His current attire, while not exactly the most common amongst humans, suited him infinitely better. While his hair color was considered a design flaw from the start, she didn't let it be 'fixed' and rather gave him the scarf he always wore these days.

"You said tomorrow's your birthday." he mused, tilting his head slightly. He could adapt non-verbal communications so well, it sometimes astounded even his owners he was not human. "I know I've asked about this before...but you could never tell me why this is so important for you."

She couldn't help but giggle to the question. Every year, it was the same thing. One could write a dictionary into a machine, but it would hardly understand the emotional value of many things. He made a habit of asking her this every single year, sufficing with even the tiniest bit. Sometimes, she just wondered whether this was a running joke to him.

"I don't understand." he spoke up again, his expression turning all the more confused. "You celebrate being a year older, even though you're not immortal or anything. Why are you so happy about growing older?"

"It's difficult to explain." she chuckled, getting a smile out of him as well. This was something she had to encourage him to do. In the beginning, by his programmers' orders he could only interact in certain ways, not to scare anyone. His incredibly wooden dialogue and stiff looks helped little to gather him any goodwill though.

"We celebrate not because we know we're getting older, not exactly." she mused, his interest suddenly peaking. She hardly attempted any sort of explanation, other than the usual 'it's a human thing', or 'it's difficult' answers. "We're just happy we got to live for another year. It's like the saying, that it isn't the destination that matters, but the journey itself."

Kaito didn't contemplate on that for too long. He could accept this answer for the most part, even though the notion of celebrations in general were still a bit strange to him, even though he was designed specifically to make them better. He was a social model, built for human interactions above all.

"We could celebrate a birthday for you, too." she spoke after a bit of a pause. "We could have a party and all! I could make you one of those ice-cream cakes you seemed to like so much!"

"Masuta, I'm not sure how that would work..." he mused, thinking about that. Ice cream was a rather charming incentive though. While he didn't need food like humans, he had methods of 'digesting' and had developed a fondness for ice-cream over the years. "I could have multiple birthdays if we wanted to have one."

"What do you mean?" she quirked a brow, not quite getting where he was going with that.

"My birthday could be the day the began work on my blueprints. Or when my body was began to be molded and sculpted." he explained. "It could be when my first code was written, or when I was fully assembled. Or just the first time I was switched on!"

"Or the day you came here?" she spoke up, smiling and petting him a bit, ruffling through his blue hair.

The android produced an adorably childish whine to that, desperately trying to fix his hair up to be proper again, much to her amusement. He was still quite interested in what she had in mind though, despite the 'abuse'.

"The day you arrived here. When you stopped being just a model number and became the Shion Kaito I know." she explained, her smile growing a bit.

"But...that's not even a real birth in any way!" he complained, not really getting the thought.

It didn't quite matter for her though, his confusion just making her giggle even more. He was oblivious to many things human, either because of slight human-made flaws and programming errors, or just his lack of understanding of emotions. He could simulate them to a certain extent, but couldn't perfectly comprehend them. This is what made him the most sophisticated of his kind though...his never ending thirst for knowledge and advancement.

"Masuta!" Kaito called suddenly, making flinch. She hadn't even noticed till now that she was in his arms mere inches above the ground.

Now that he brought her attention though, she realized she was feeling light-headed again. The android gently touched her forehead, his sensors judging her body heat in just a few seconds. Fever, as almost every single day. She should have been in school or with friends, but her dwindling health allowed neither.

The data of her health problems had been inputted into him before anything else, even her name. Doctor's notes, charts, procedures and medicinal records, all of them were taught to him so quickly and suddenly, a simple human wouldn't have been able to so much as remember it all. He could recall every single test perfect though, including the word 'terminal' repeated over and over again. He knew the meaning of the word, yet still wasn't sure he understood it really. Part of him didn't even want to.

"We should go back now." he stated, gently but firmly. To be the perfect android, he was free from the most restrictive of rules, but still had many guidelines he was obliged to follow, including the preservation of his master. "You need to lie down again and take your medici-"

Kaito couldn't finish though, noticing she was pulling at his sleeve. He had been around her for several years now, and since the very beginning, this was her most common way of asking for something. The android couldn't see the usual bright smile on her face though, but rather a tired one. He didn't like that smile. It sent bad vibes throughout his systems, always making him think he would malfunction any moment.

"Can we stay...just a little bit longer?" she asked, heaving a bit from the growing fever.

He was torn between prioritizing her health of her happiness, both of which meant so much to him. He could almost feel a circuit blowing in him from the immense amount of thought his brain was putting into this one decision. At these times, it really did seem to him humans had it easier, operating on feelings, rather than logic.

She was about to tell him to take her back, having seen the effect of her wish on his face, the more he thought of it. She knew these decisions were unfair for him to make and didn't wish to pain her friend like that. He eventually eased up and smiled a little, pulling her closer to himself.

He then began to sing to her and from that point on, she cared for nothing at all. His voice was soothing and warm, almost more so than that of an average human's. The song he sung to her was not one she knew, nor could understand, but it mattered not for her. She sighed and snuggled into his chest, feeling safe in the embrace of her guardian. As she closed her eyes, all she could hear was that beautiful song; a delightful cheering tune reminding her of how wonderful it was to have lived yet another year.

* * *

Loneliness. Kaito had never simulated this feeling before, but it seemed so appropriate right now. All alone in a beautiful, cheery little room was something that could trigger no other feeling. Sadness was a constant these days, a feeling he'd simulated so many times it seemed to him that was the only one he possessed by now.

In his hand lay a photograph, a perky young girl chucking at him through her own dimension. He could not hear, touch, or talk to her, thus the conclusion was obvious. Yet it was still her nonetheless. Her smile, eyes, hair, face, all of them were undoubtedly her. Only the scarf belonged to him, which she had gleefully stolen to take this one photo with. Never before or after did she do that again.

The android could hear them outside the door by now. While he could have simply locked it, or blocked it just with his own body well enough for it never to break, he couldn't bring himself to move. Time was short, but he could not care. For him, all that mattered right now, was this one photo.

His memory banks were filled to the brim with her words and actions, but they were just pure data. They were mere numbers, not a real person. The person he longed to see right now, was far beyond his reach. The only thing he could grasp for himself, was this one picture of her.

By now, she was in a supposedly better place, if he were to trust the words of others. Even trust seemed like a strange word to him now though. He trusted her to be around for many-many years, yet she had departed so suddenly, almost without a word. All he had left, was this one little photo, wrinkled and worn, but undoubtedly of her.

"...inside all the time...creeps me out...get rid of him...dangerous...damn machine..."

The words hardly shook him in any way. He knew the Lady Master of his didn't like him from the very start. She would have trusted a simple nanny to take care of her, but her husband insisted a robot could do a better job. Neither of them anticipated that very idea would lead her down death's way sooner than any of them would have thought.

The loud crash of the door came just as he opened his mouth, a low hum erupting from his throat, before he began to sing. All of the people outside, the parents and the mechanics sent to retrieve the android were shocked to find him simply kneeling on the floor and singing. While this was undoubtedly one of the reasons they created him for, there was just nothing the could think of he should have sung about. He was just gazing at the wall, singing that sad and beautiful tone.

He resisted not for a moment as the mechanics got him up, orders having no effect on him. The second verse found him in a van, the mechanics shutting the doors tightly, their skin crawling from his song. It just bothered them to no end, both almost awaiting the moment he'd tear the van in half and escape.

The verse was perhaps the most painful of this little song, not just because of the lyrics, but what was happening around him. Every word seemed to cost him an arm or a leg, his body torn apart as they tried taking him apart to be reconstructed and sold once again. His singing bothered everyone though, forcing them to cut the circuits allowing him to speak to shut him up.

His speakers quickly flared up again though, defiant against the act of vandalism against it. The more they took him apart, the louder the melody became, soon echoing all throughout the factory. One word for a circuit, they continued destroying whatever left of Shion Kaito there was. His chest and power source were both take, leaving him as nothing but a disembodied head on the chief's desk.

And yet, he still continue to sing. The last verse was still waiting to be sung, although by now only a creepy monotone was left of his voice, all auxiliary power going into keeping his speakers going for just a few more seconds. The chief engineer sighed and shook his head, seeing the stubborn android as his own design failure, only to smile once he finally stopped. He was beginning to get on his nerves. Kaito's speakers suddenly flared up again though, transmitting the final thoughts he would ever share with the world; the words that forever stuck in everyone's minds.

"...happy...birth...day...ma...su...ta..."

* * *

ALTERNATIVE ENDING:

"Careful!"

Kaito leaned a bit to the side, catching the marble ball the little boy so foolishly threw into the air. He couldn't, nor wouldn't scold him though, the momentary scared look on his face more than enough for him. The child peeked around for a few more moments, before smiling at him with pure, childish glee.

"You saved me!" he exclaimed, portraying him as a hero, to which he smiled.

While the family he was at wasn't exactly the richest in the neighborhood, as part of a test agreement, he was brought here to act as their little boy's nanny. He handled the child pretty well these past few months, earning approval from both the family and the head engineers who had built him. It seemed he would be a success after all.

The boy sat down in the grass, Kaito following him shortly. The soft afternoon breeze ruffled up his brown hair a bit, though luckily it didn't latch onto his shirt. Clothes still weren't a necessity to him, but they were needed for decency's sake. His anatomical correctness was way too good to allow him a life in the nude.

He flinched a little suddenly, finding the boy to be holding his hand, eying it curiously.

"There's something here!" he called, getting his attention as well.

If there was some design flaw on him, he would have needed to report it immediately. It seemed to be nothing more than a slightly moved joint though, possibly from the marble ball he had caught earlier. The more he looked at it though, the more it seemed like something was embedded into the very base of his finger. He zoomed closer with his eyes, only to see what he had expected. Something was in his hand, somehow under the artificial skin.

He gently reached for out and pulled it out from the tiny tear on his skin, wondering what it was. The boy was right next to him, watching him and the object with trepidation. It was nothing more spectacular than a piece of folded-up paper though. Kaito opened it up without waiting another moment, only to freeze up.

Something was not right. Data...so much data flowed through his memory suddenly, triggered by the sight of this little piece of paper, this photograph, which seemed to be older than anything he should have remembered. He remembered being in fields...or was it the engineer's office? A room...a girl's room?

These memories made no sense, yet they just kept appearing, quickly clogging up his processor as he tried to sort them out. More and more of this data seemed coherent with the rest, but they all conflicted with what he knew as of now. He was built not long ago...his hair was never that short...and he never wore a scarf like that.

And yet the photo was so strikingly familiar he couldn't take his eyes off it. There was something about it that didn't allow him to let go, a deep fear-like emotion in him that he'd lose a lot if he did let go now. The data slowly seemed to recompile into one enormous, years-worth of memory data, the kind he shouldn't have had. All of this seemed so confusing and nonsensical, especially as even a music data joined in, it's tune beginning to boom in his head-

"...Kaito, you're crying..." he heard suddenly, bringing him back to the reality, where only a few seconds have passed. The little boy, his young friend was eying him with sad eyes, worrying for the android.

The android reached up and touched his own cheek, surprised to find a silvery droplet flowing over his hand. It was a tear. His eyes had a tear-like liquid constantly pumped into and around them, to make him as human-like as possible. He never used, nor had to use this before though. No one ever needed him to cry and he never would have done so on his own, until now.

"I'm...don't worry, I'm alright." he mused after a little while, easing up the little boy's worry a bit. "Little Masuta...do you want to hear a story?" he asked after another momentary pause, smiling despite the several more droplets running down his face.

"A story? Sure!" he nodded and sat down in his lap, glancing at the photo in his hand.

The girl on it seemed pretty sweet. He envied her for having such a long and pretty colored scarf, too. He smiled as Kaito wrapped one of his arms around him, pulling him close while he continued to hold onto the photo. The melody data in his head proved to be not distraction, but a treasure...the fulfillment of another word he could never fully understand, as much as he wanted to.

"Ready? This is the story of a young girl I...once knew..."


End file.
